Families of Shortreed, 

Welcome to the final week of school for 2025! It was so lovely to see so many Shortreed families out at the Christmas in Aldergrove Community Party and Parade! It was a beautiful night - both weather-wise and for the community of Aldergrove. 

Thank you to everyone who donated and bid on our PAC Silent Auction. We were able to raise close to $4400 for our school! Please take a look at the generous donors and supporters of our school at the link here. 

We have another exciting week ahead for us at Shortreed as it is Christmas Concert Week! We have shared this concert in the past, but it is important to share it again as a final reminder:

• We ask that family members choose one concert to attend.
• All students should do their best to be at all three concerts. 
• We have afternoon concerts on Tuesday, December 16 and Wednesday, December 17 at 12:45 (doors open at 12:15). We encourage people to attend one of the afternoon concerts. 
• We have an evening concert on Wednesday, December 17. We are hoping the evening concert will be attended only by those who work during the day and are unable to attend the afternoon concerts. For the evening concert, as we have so many people who attend, we are once again dividing the show as follows:
  • Grade K-2 students will perform at 6:20-7:00. Students can be dropped off at their classrooms at 6:00 and family members of K-2 students can head into the gym. After the K-2 performance, those family members of the K-2 students will be encouraged to head out through the exterior doors to make room for the families of Grade 3-5 students. They can pick up their child(ren) at their classroom exterior doors. 
  • Grade 3-5 students will perform from approximately 7:10-8:00 and should arrive at their classrooms at 6:40. Families of grade 3-5 students can line up inside the school and will enter the gym at about 7:00pm. Families can pick up their child at their classroom after the end of the concert. 
• Please stay for the entire afternoon concert or the entire half of the evening concert (do not leave right after your child performs). This ensures that our last groups have a full audience too!
  

Many of you have had Mr. D as your child's teacher in the past (and some of you get to have him this year!). As you can imagine, Mr. D does NOT want anything big, but I would be remiss if I did not share with all of you that he is retiring and this is his last week at Shortreed. He has been a staple at this school for many years, and his leadership with kids on environmental issues, social-emotional learning, outdoor education, and his overall teachings about being a good human have touched SO many lives. You can't replace teachers like Mr. D., and we are all so thankful for the years he chose to teach at Shortreed. We wish him nothing but the best in his retirement and congratulate him on an incredible career!

Thursday will be Pyjama Day and PAC Milk and Cookies day, so bring out those warm Christmas or Winter PJs! Friday will be the final day of school for 2025, and we will be having our annual Shortreed Christmas Sing Along and Read Aloud in the afternoon,  

With the cold, wet weather here, this is an important reminder to make sure your child comes to school with boots and a coat each day. Our students spend at least 45 minutes outside each day, even if it is raining. Also, please have a change of clothes in their backpacks, just in case they slip and fall in the mud/water. 

A reminder of our "Gift of Words" Project:

• In the library, Mrs. Kirk has started the season off with a book by Peter Reynolds called "The Gift of Words." All students will be adding a joyful, positive word to trees around the school, and families are invited to add to this! PAC has organized gift tags to be available in the foyer so that you can add your own hopeful words to the tree in the office entrance - let's fill Shortreed with the gift of words this season! Here is the story if you would like to listen to it at home: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYhTqxVl2CM  We hope you can add your words to this wonderful Shortreed project! 

At Shortreed, we are honoured to work, learn, and play on the unceded ancestral and traditional lands of the Máthxwi First Nation. We share this not only to acknowledge the lands but also to express our dedication to learning on our journey of truth and reconciliation. As we prepare for our annual Christmas Concert, we are reminded of the Indigenous teaching to place children at the centre of our circles and to embrace their gifts. We cannot wait to see our children shine on stage and share their talents of singing, dancing, and acting. 

Good Things to Talk About

Allllll Abooooarrrrd! Our Kindergarten students were excited to get their tickets, meet the Conductor, and head out on the Polar Express walk around the school. They then enjoyed some hot chocolate and had a chance to watch the movie. Thank you to our K teachers for making this Polar Express Day so special for the kids. 

Speaking of Polar Express, we had a number of staff and families who helped make an idea a reality as they worked together to create and build our 2025 float for the parade. Gail Macklin (former Shortreed staff member and current Shortreed grandparent) was able to get some huge avocado oil boxes and paint a picture of what these would eventually become, our Shortreed Polar Express. Thank you to Gail and her family (Drayden, Jaida, Dean, Misty), Margot D, Jodi S, Lexi W and her dad Jerrad, Lucas T and his mom Holly, Marcus and his mom Roxanne, Keira C and her dad Angelo (and her sister), Mrs. Gill, Mrs. Deol, Mrs. Datema, and Mrs. Hubbs for their work with decorating, preparing, and cleaning up the float!

On Thursday, we had our annual Find the Elves morning, where 25 staff members dressed up as Elves and hid around the outside of the school (and the office). Students had to go around finding the elves, then had a chance to enter a draw to win cool prizes. Students who weren't able to participate could complete the forms in class. Thank you to our staff who participated and supported this fun annual event! 

Once our Polar Express float was all decorated, we had about 50 Shortreed family members and staff meet up at the Aldergrove Parade. Cooper Equipment Rentals generously donated a trailer for our use, and Dean and Misty Macklin volunteered to pull it. We had an absolute blast being part of the parade this year, and our kids did a great job of waving at the crowd from the windows of their train cars on the Shortreed Polar Express. Thank you to everyone who joined us and to Mrs. Hubbs, Mrs. Datema, Mrs. Parsons, Mrs, Chadwick, and Mrs. Gill for walking with us in the parade. 

The Week Ahead

• Tuesday, December 16 - Christmas Concert #1 12:45
• Wednesday, December 17 - Christmas Concert #2 12:45; Concert #3 in the evening
• Thursday, December 18 - Pyjama Day, PAC School-wide activity and Milk and Cookies Day
• Friday, December 19 - last day of school before break; Shortreed Sing Along 1:15; Term 1 SIC Reports sent home

Upcoming Dates and Events:

• Monday, January 5 - Schools Reopen
• Tuesday, January 6 - Gr. 5 Basketball 7:45-8:45
• Thursday, January 8 - Gr. 5 Basketball 7:45-8:45
• Tuesday, January 13 - Gr. 5 Basketball 7:45-8:45
• Wednesday, January 14 - PAC Hot Lunch - A&W
• Thursday, January 15 - PAC Meeting 6:30
• Friday, January 16 - Gr. 5 Basketball 7:45-8:45, lockdown drill 1:05
• Tuesday, January 20 - Gr. 5 Basketball 7:45-8:45
• Friday, January 23 - Gr. 5 Basketball 7:45-8:45
• Tuesday, January 27 - Gr. 5 Basketball 7:45-8:45
• Wednesday, January 28 - PAC Popcorn Day

You can see our digital calendar here. We encourage you to add our school calendar to your phone/device by clicking here. 

Information and Reminders:

• Healthy Minds BC has provided preventive and early-intervention tools and resources to support neurodiverse students' mental health. Parent Resources can be found here. 
• Information About School Status During Inclement Weather

  Snow closures and power outages are an annual occurrence in Langley School District. So, where do you go to get information about the status of schools during periods of inclement weather? If you are able to access the internet via computer or smartphone, current information about Langley schools can be accessed on all school websites or www.sd35.bc.ca. Updates are also posted to X (formerly Twitter) @LangleySchools and Facebook at www.facebook.com/langleyschooldistrict. If you don't have internet connectivity but your phone is working, call a relative or friend in an area that has not been affected by the storm and ask them to check the district website for you. Local radio stations are also informed of school status in Langley. Tune in to CKWX 1130AM, CKNW 980AM, Country Radio 107.1FM, Pulse 107.7 or CBC 690AM or 88.1FM for updates.

   

  Please note that Langley District schools are all considered 'open' until a decision to close is required. Decisions on school closures are usually made by 6:30am. As always, it is a parent's decision whether to send their child to school based on safety and individual circumstances. If you feel it is unsafe for you or your child to travel to or attend an open school for any reason, please keep your child home and report an absence to the school.

• Our Shortreed Breakfast Program runs each school day from 8:20-8:35. This is free for any students registered, and they must come each day they are in school. To register, click here. 
• We know that illnesses occur and absences can happen. If your child is going to be absent, arriving late, away or leaving early due to an appointment, please notify the school of your child’s absence by doing either of the following:
  • E-mail SCEAttendance@sd35.bc.ca or call 604-856-4167 and follow the prompts for the attendance line, and leave a message with information including:
    • Student First Name and Last Name
    • Grade
    • Division
    • Length of Absence
    • Reason (illness, late, appointment, vacation)

  • Please be aware that if your child is often late, they will miss significant lessons, as much of the literacy and math instruction takes place at the beginning of the day. If your child is ill (flu-like symptoms), please keep them home until they are no longer contagious and can participate in regular school activities. Homework will be provided upon request. Please avoid long absences due to holidays, as this can seriously jeopardize your child’s academic achievement. Homework may not be provided as assignments based on lessons your child missed, as it can be more confusing than helpful. If you will be away for an extended period, please notify the school, as this may impact enrollment. 

  • We STRIVE for FIVE absences or less at Shortreed. We know that children will get sick, but it's important to minimize absences.

• There is no parking or pickup/drop-offs in our school parking lot. Please park along 28th Ave or 273rd Street. The Catholic Church allows us to park there for pickup and drop-off. Do not block the driveways of any residences. 

PAC News

Thank you to everyone who supported our 2025 Winter Silent Auction!

Hot Lunch Orders can be made now. Go to www.munchalunch.com/schools/shortreed/ to order. 

Have any questions? Email us at shortreedpac@gmail.com. 

Join our Shortreed PAC Facebook Group too!

Community Events

To read about some fantastic family opportunities across Langley, check out the Community Bulletin Board.

Pacific Sport Fraser Valley Winter Break Camps! 

Are you looking for something to do during Winter Break?! Look no further!
NEW - daily registration option! If you are not needing a program all week, you do not need to miss out!

Where: Shortreed Community School
When: Dec 22, 23, 24, 29, 30 and 31
Time: 9am - 3pm *(Dec 24 is 9am - 1pm)
Cost: $40 per day *(Dec 24 is $25)

Registration opens November 24 at 9am. Spaces are limited! pacificsportfraservalley.com/events

Week 1:

MediaSmarts has launched a new, free, self-guided workshop to help families develop healthier technology and screen-time habits. Building Better Tech Habits provides practical, research-informed strategies for managing family screen use and addressing common digital challenges at all ages. The workshop can be accessed 24/7 via the link here and completed any time, making it easy to fit into busy schedules.

Just a few clicks on your phone and you'll be entered to win thousands of dollars in The Lucky Langley 50/50 & Raffle Fundraiser! ⁠ Purchase your tickets today and build brighter futures for the students of Langley! And enter for your chance to win the cash jackpot or 2 Air Canada tickets to anywhere they fly in North America, just in time for Christmas! ⁠

⁠Buy your tickets today by clicking here!